Flintshire retailers hit out over Welsh identity

MANAGERS at Broughton Shopping Park have hit out at claims shops are not doing enough to promote the park’s Welsh identity.

The shops have been criticised for advertising they are situated across the border in Chester rather than in Flintshire.

Park manager Colin Gilligan said this was due to the postcode system recognising the park as a Chester postcode rather than a deliberate move by the park’s shops.

He said: “The park has a CH4 postcode that straddles the border and also applies to English properties so there is no particular reason why a store would align itself with the other side of the border.

“The postcode system often recognises Broughton Shopping Park as being in Chester.”

Mr Gilligan’s comments followed a complaint made to the Leader by a member of the public that the stores on Broughton Shopping Park “do not know what country they are in”.

The reader, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “On St David’s Day, one of the most important days in Wales, only Tesco stocked anything for the day.

“Now stores have started to stock items for St George’s Day, which if they have forgotten has nothing to do with Wales. They need to realise they are in Wales and not England.”

Birthdays card shop has also received a complaint relating to the lack of Welsh stock in its Broughton store.

Manager Jan Lockie said: “We do have a ‘spinner’ of Welsh gifts on sale in our Broughton store but following this complaint we will double the space for Welsh gifts in the store.”

She added they would make sure they sold gifts for St David’s Day as well as St George’s Day in 2011.

Ms Lockie added: “We have also changed our address to read Flintshire rather than Cheshire,” she said.

Mr Gilligan said the park had recommended that stores market themselves as being in Flintshire and comply with Welsh signage regulations.

He added that the park had been working to promote the Welsh aspect of the shopping park.

Mr Gilligan said: “We have run beginner courses in Welsh to encourage staff to speak Welsh and hosted a variety of events in the past to promote Welsh ethnicity.”